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By Paul Collins
October 1, 2008
Lay-Led Liturgies: Dealing with priestless parishes in Rockhampton
Recently Bishop Brian Heenan of the Diocese of Rockhampton, which extends over 415,000 sq kilometres in Central Queensland, reported on how the diocese is trying to cope with an acute shortage of priests. He has about twenty active but aging priests to service an area the size of Germany and Austria combined. Bishop Heenan says the diocese 'includes a strong coastal belt, with three larger cities and a vast rural area stretching to the Northern Territory border. Besides the older established towns, there are at least a dozen communities which have a link into the booming mining industry.'
To try to deal with the situation Rockhampton Diocese has developed lay-led liturgies in many outback rural parishes. 'Some of our more remote towns', Bishop Heenan reported, 'would have a lay-led liturgy on three weekends out of four, others every second weekend, others on one Sunday per month.' In many of these places Mass is only celebrated twice a year. But now lay-led liturgies are becoming more common even in parishes with priests, so that priests can visit more remote parishes, or have some time off for vacations or study leave.
Bishop Heenan says 'During holiday time for priests, our people have become very accepting of lay-led liturgies including the larger centres, as it is almost impossible to find suitable supply priests who have the health and stamina to drive the long distances.' He says that people are quite clear about the difference 'between a lay-led liturgy and the full celebration of the Mass.' However, some people preferred not to attend lay liturgies and await the occasional arrival of a priest.
It has been difficult to recruit leaders - 'Presiders' is probably the best word - because people are shy of standing up before their fellow worshippers. However, Rockhampton has made sure that they have been given adequate leadership training and has provided resources to assist them in preparing the liturgy and homily.
Bishop Heenan says that 'The common experience for our Diocese is to include Communion with the Liturgy of the Word. This is much appreciated by the participants and reminds all that while the Mass is not being fully celebrated, the gift of Communion is offered, much as it might be to the sick or others unable to celebrate the Mass. It also, in my opinion, reinforces the various ‘presences’ of Christ – in the community gathered, in the Word and in Communion.
Catholics for Ministry would simply ask: 'Why can't these presiders at least begin preparation for priestly ordination, so that eventually Mass can be celebrated in these communities?' Not for one moment would we criticize Bishop Heenan and Rockhampton Diocese. They are responding creatively to the immediate problems that they face. What we would rather ask is who is responsible for creating this problem in the first place? The answer is obvious: the church's leadership - Benedict XVI, the Vatican and the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference who ignored the call of 16,746 Mass-going Catholics (including 166 priests) who asked them to consider the ministerial crisis that the church faces and to do something about it. Archbishop Wilson, the President of the Bishops Conference told Catholics for Ministry that this was none of our business!